Up North

ArcFlash and myself, recently pointed the van north for a weekend of camping , fat-bike riding and sea kayaking. The camping portion of the weekend was in stealth mode. This time of year the chance of getting a camping spot at a state park is pretty much zero, especially on a Friday evening. Last year I found a spot while I was out with my boys that I thought would be perfect. Even more perfect was the need for a boat to gain access......enter pack-raft. The camp was excellent and reminded me of the boundary waters. Saturday morning we got going early and quickly, the annual COGGS summer fat-bike tour was starting at 9 am and was the main reason for our trip north. We met at the trail-head for of Mission Creek and began the arduous ride towards Lester River which would not be seen for many hours. The ride linked together the fine single track  of Duluth, as well as some of the lesser traveled segments of ATV and deer trails that, for the most part, kept us off of the roads. Although in our 8++ hour extravaganza, we only covered 42 miles, it was exhausting and a true fat-bike adventure type ride. After the ride we met up with a few of our fellow riders for some chow and then we were off to find another place to camp, further north past Two Harbors. As mentioned before, finding a spot to camp is really tough, especially on the north shore. After driving around a while we ended up sleeping in a ditch , in the cover of some very tall grass along HWY 61. The next morning the wind was starting to blow. This isn't a really big deal for most of activities that AF and I do, except for kayaking on Lake Superior. Our plan was to push off at the Little Two Harbors Bay and travel northeast under the Split Rock Lighthouse and see if we could locate a shipwreck that AF has jumped before. Admittedly, I'm not at the top of my game when it comes to paddling on the big lake. It's been quite a while since I've been out on Superior and getting my "sea legs" in chop big enough to come over the top of the deck was a little unsettling. As we left the minimal shelter of the bay the rollers seemed to double in size just as we got into the full force of the wind that was now 15-20 knots. Neither one of us wanting to back down or show any sign of weakness, simultaneously agreed to turn back and give the lake another try in a what we hoped would be a more sheltered setting. We packed up and went south to Agate Bay out of Two Harbors. There was ship wreck here as well that we were hoping to view via snorkel. The water was so cold at the far end of the bay above the wreck, it ended with both of us only being able to handle swimming for 60 seconds tops, even in full wet suits. Although no planned goal was met, we had a successful day. Any moment spent on, near, or next to, Lake Superior is fantastic.